Heavy winds, rain hit the Bay Area hard

The tide is rising is Pacifica. The heavy rain blanketed the area throughout the day and caused a few annoyances for residents. Thankfully, though, there is no major damage.

It was a much needed winter storm, but for Jerry Gerrans it was an unneeded headache.

"$650 just for the tree and we haven't looked to see what damage there is just to the house or the roof," said Gerrans.

The gusty winds broke off a chunk of an old Monterey cypress in front of his Pacifica rental property, briefly trapping the tenant inside.

"He couldn't open the door and the wire was broken, so PG&E said don't come out because you could have a live wire," said Gerrans.

They weren't the only ones. Around the area, the rain came down and so did the trees.

Early on Sunday morning in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the gusts knocked a large tree onto Highway 9, north of Boulder Creek, briefly shutting down the road in both directions.

In Colma, winds also ripped a piece of roof off an auto repair shop.

On the coast, there was sideways rain, gale warnings and wind gusts up to 45 miles an hour. The surf was so rough, fishermen were warned to stay away.

"This is the type of day where even on a cruise ship you probably wouldn't be real comfortable because the ocean's really moving around a whole lot today," said Half Moon Bay Deputy Harbor Master Cary Smith.

Crab fisherman Chris Eatinger took the advice.

"I used common sense and the weather report. Whenever a cup of coffee starts tipping over, forget it," said Eatinger.

Residents on an unstable stretch of Pacifica coastline monitored the hillsides. Markers dotted the deteriorating bluff, and a gage was placed there by the city to warn neighbors of a potential slide.

It wasn't enough to make Jeremiah Rosenthal nervous.

"I live on that side of the street so if this part falls in the water, I have ocean front property so it's not a big deal," said Rosenthal.

There also had been a flood warning in place for small streams and creeks in San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties, but that was lifted earlier on Sunday without any reports of flooding or damage.